Back in 1776, John Adams predicted — correctly! — that July 4th would become a national holiday. Today, it’s easy to predict that scammers and swindlers will try to celebrate by scatttering traps for you, all wrapped in the good old red-white-and-blue, of course. Here’s a quick look at some of the most common con games that pop up along with firework stands, and the basic ways to keep your money safe. When it comes to setting off fireworks, though, staying safe is entirely up to you! So be careful, and have a happy Independence Day.

“You pilot always into an unknown future — facts are your single clue.”

Today, too many people don’t make up their own minds. They just decide who they’re going to believe. This can be very dangerous! It opens you up to all kinds of scams and swindles, and can lead you to make bad decisions about anything you do in life. Let’s think about how to know what information you can trust…decide whose opinions you can believe…and how to make up your own mind, instead of letting someone else do it for you.

I’ve been getting a whole bunch of phony emails lately, and maybe you have too. They mostly present a fake invoice for some service, claiming I’ve subscribed to it and they’re going to take money out of my bank account — unless I call a phone number and protest. Of course it’s urgent! I only get a very short window to object. If I were to fall for this, they’d want me to give them my bank account numbers and all kinds of personal information. Instead, I just had some fun telling you about these scams.

We love it when one of our listeners sends us a tip about a scam — our email address is [email protected] — and this one is a doozy. Our listener got a text that seemed frightening at first, and certainly tried to sound urgent, but on closer examination it just became ridiculous. Have a good laugh on the idiot who sent it, and we hope you’re not dumb enough to fall for it!

There are eight ways to move money — get it, spend it, buy things, and pay debts. This time we’ll take a look at the last four ways, and the various risks as well as the ways you can stay safe. All the many scams and swindles out there involve stealing your money, so if you know how to move it around safely, you’re far less likely to be a victim.

Today, there are eight ways to send, spend, use or lose your money, and the Better Business Bureau advises that you are less likely to be scammed if you understand the risks inherent in each one. This time, we’ll look at four of them, and summarize the risks you take and the protections you have when you use them. Stay tuned for part two, next time!

Here are the top five most prevalent and dangerous scams being reported today — how to recognize them and how to protect yourself. These days, you really need to keep aware of what’s going around, so you — or your friends or family members — don’t get ripped off.

We haven’t done a Top Ten list in awhile, and they’re always fun. Here are the bottom five of the Top Ten Scams and Swindles going around today; next time, we’ll give you the top five ways the crooks can be winners and you can be a loser — if you don’t Beware.

Fake websites are popping up everywhere on the internet these days, now that AI technology has made it extremely easy to clone or copy a real website. Even the sponsored links which come up first on search engines are now sometimes phony. Here’s a look at how to spot a bogus website before you give it your personal information, or send some money to a swindler.

Swindlers can take you when something bad happens — or when something good happens. Bad weather can cause damage and there are scammers who rip off people who need repairs — here’s what to watch out for. And there’s recently been reports of phony Wedding Photographers who can ruin a happy event if you’re not careful!